The Shadow
by Thegameofliiife
Summary: Love is the strongest force there is, and Sirius Black has gone too long without it. When he finally finds it, how far will he be willing to go for love? And is love ever enough?
1. Realization

The coldest day of the year so far was drawing to a close, as everyone in the Gryffindor common room, wrapped their arms around themselves in an endeavor to stay warm. One person who did not have to hug himself, was a boy sat in his favourite armchair next to the fireplace. He had untidy light brown hair, and kind brown eyes. His robes were slightly more faded than the ones worn by those around him and he had noticeable dark circles under his eyes. Remus Lupin's shabby appearance was barely noticed by the people of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was his sixth year, and most had become accustomed to his scruffy appearance. In fact, if Remus were to go to classes one day, in brand new robes, many heads would be sure to turn. He sat, helping his friend Sirius Black with a particularly difficult Potions essay on the Draught of Living Death. Remus was always happy to help his friends out, for they had stuck by him in his time of need and for that he was forever in their debt.

"So what's next, Moony?" Sirius said with a huff, pushing his long hair out of his eyes. At that moment, Sirius heard a group of third year girls giggle from the other side of the room. He looked up and gave the group a wink. The girls giggled even louder. Sirius Black was used to this kind of attention. He'd been getting it since his first night at Hogwarts.

"Padfoot, stop winking at third years and finish this essay," Remus said, a smirk across his face.

"Hey, I'm just giving the people what they want." Remus rolled his eyes and placed the textbook he had been reading down on the table. He had grown used to his friend's vanity. It was what Remus had envied most about the boy seated beside him. Remus had never been as sure of himself. Never felt himself deserving of normal friendships. Of friendships at all.

"Okay, you should conclude it with what I've written here." Remus scribbled a few lines on to a blank piece of parchment and passed it to Sirius. Sirius copied it down and leaned back in his chair. "Well I need to run down to the library before it closes." Remus stood, glancing at his watch. "I'll see you later." Sirius yawned a thank-you as he lazily waved his friend goodbye. Seconds after Remus had disappeared through the portrait hole, Sirius was disturbed by one of the eager third years.

"Hi Sirius," The slim brunette said. Sirius looked up, and as he did the girl took an intimidated step back as if regretting her decision to approach the infamous Black.

"Erm, I was wondering if you wanted to, er. To go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend," She said, a flush of colour to her cheeks.

"Sorry, I'd really love to but I'm already taking someone," He lied. Sirius admired the girl for having a go, but he was Sirius Black after all. A lot of girls wanted to date him, so he didn't waste his time on the ones three years his junior. Everyone wanted a piece of Sirius Black and James Potter. The thought of his best friend made him stop for a moment. He hadn't seen James since dinner, which was quite unusual, as the two were practically joined at the hip. Sirius stood up, deciding to find his Two Way Mirror in his trunk, upstairs in the 6th year boys' dormitory. He walked past the third year girl, who stood for a moment with a look of deep confusion, before turning and walking back to her friends. Just as Sirius was approaching the steps to the dormitory, he heard the portrait hole fly open. He turned around, expecting to see his bespectacled best friend grinning up at him, but standing in the portrait hole entrance was not his best friend but rather Jane Glossin, best friend of Lily Evans. She had long blonde hair, and dark blue eyes that were extremely hard to read. Sirius had never really spoken to Glossin. He often saw her sitting with Evans in most classes, the two girls listening attentively to whichever professor was teaching. Sirius watched as she tucked her hair behind her ear, and pulled her bag higher up her arm. After several moments, when Jane's eyes met his own, Sirius realized he was staring and ran upstairs to his dormitory. Once inside, he stood for a moment, trying to remember why he had come upstairs, but his mind was blank. Giving up, he decided to go to sleep, forgetting all about his best friend and the Two Way Mirror.

҉

Jane was returning to the Gryffindor Common Room, after dinner. She had to run to keep up with the angry redhead beside her, her best friend Lily Evans.

"Lily, I think he really likes you. Why don't you just give him a chance? He might surprise you."

"Because he's so arrogant. I can't stand being in the same room as him." Lily's voice was harsh.

"He offered you his jumper because you were cold," Jane argued, though Lily simply gave her a deadly stare, and Jane dropped the subject immediately. The two girls walked in silence for several moments, the only noise heard was the clunking of their feet against the hard stone floor. Lily was the one to break the quiet.

"Oh I forgot. I need to go to the library quickly. I'll see you later," she said running down a side corridor. Jane didn't even have a chance to respond before her friend flew around a corner and was gone. With a deep sigh she continued, slightly puffed, towards Gryffindor Tower alone. As she passed a dark classroom she heard mutters coming from inside. Jane stopped curiously and quietly put her ear to the door.

"It'll be okay Prongs. She'll come around eventually." Came the calming voice of Remus Lupin. There were several seconds of silence before someone else spoke in a defeated voice.

"She hates me Remus." It was James Potter. "Am I a bad bloke? Tell me, honestly."

"No," Remus sighed. "You're the best bloke I know." At this point Jane ripped her ear from the door, in shock. She knew who he was talking about. He was talking about Lily. She had never known Potter to be this emotional. Sure, she could see that there was more to James than Lily could, or was willing to see. But Jane had never imagined his feelings were this deep. She desperately wanted to comfort the boy. That was the thing about Jane Glossin; she could never help but want to comfort those in need, even James Potter, who she scarcely spoke to. In fact, the only Marauder that she did speak to on occasion was Remus, as they were the only two Gryffindor students enrolled in sixth year Arithmancy. Quietly, Jane tiptoed away from the room until she could no longer hear the muttering of the two boys, and then broke into a run. She slowed as she reached the portrait hole, looking up at the portrait of a rather portly woman wearing a frilly pink dress, she spoke.

"Cauda Draconis." Within a second, the portrait had moved aside to reveal the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. As she entered Jane saw Sirius Black turn around on the steps in front of her. He was a very attractive boy. His long shaggy hair covered his grey eyes. But Jane always thought him quite conceited and rude. She walked towards her dormitory steps, pushing a stray hair behind her ear. Looking back up, it gave her a great feeling of discomfort as she noticed that Black was watching her. As if he felt her unease, he turned swiftly and sprinted up the stairs to his room. Jane stood rooted to her spot for several moments, before shaking it off and running up her own set of stairs. Unfortunately for Jane, she missed a step and fell back down to the bottom landing with a great thud as her mouth collided with the bottom step.

"Seriously Poppyseed, I'm fine," Jane groaned, as she stood in the Hospital Wing, with blood from the large hole she had bitten through her bottom lip now drenching the front of her robes. Madam Pomfrey had of course healed the puncture immediately, but her lip had inflated to the size of a quaffle.

"What did you just call me?" the stern Madam Pomfrey said, turning around in horror.

"Erm…Madam. Why, what did you think I called you?" The nurse just shook her head in a dismissive manner, before picking up an ugly congealed potion and passing it to Jane.

"You're staying the night, Miss Glossin, and that's final. Now drink."

"I'm actually feeling much better." Jane forced a smile but winced with the pain.

"Miss Glossin, you need rest. Drink your potion and get into that bed." She pointed to a small rigid looking bed situated next to the window and overlooking the school grounds. Jane considered this before turning back to the stern woman.

"Okay, I'll make you a deal. You let me go and-"

"Stop making such a fuss and drink it!" The woman watched Jane swallow every last drop of potion before turning on her heels and walking towards her office. "And don't even think about escaping," She said without looking back, closing the door behind her.

"Evil sadist," Jane muttered under her breath before climbing into the allocated bed and falling asleep almost instantly.

Sirius lay awake in his four poster bed that night, he looked out the window at the night sky. The full moon was coming up very soon, in a few days it seemed. Sirius was keen for some more troublemaking with his mates. He loved the full moon, although he was always sorry that Remus had to suffer the pain and sickness of his transformation. Suddenly, Sirius noticed the intense silence within the room. Peter's snoring could always be heard echoing through the dormitory at this time of night, but there was nothing. Just the sound of his own breath. Often James and Sirius would get all the pillows and blankets in the room, and build them on top of Peter's sleeping body, until the pile would reach the ceiling. Then they would sit on their beds eating Licorice Wands, as they talked about all the girls in the school. They'd mostly talk about Lily Evans. James would talk about her the entire night.

"I'm going to marry that girl one day. You just wait."

"Prongs, I think you will too." Sirius would laugh, secretly hoping to Merlin that his friend's infatuation would soon end. They sometimes spoke about Glossin, too. James had even suggested Sirius court Glossin, so as to get him in with Evans. But Glossin was far from Sirius' type. Maybe Remus', but never would Sirius want someone so dull. Then in the morning, the two would be woken by the muffled yelps of their friend across the room trapped underneath a mountain of blankets. Remus would always tell them off.

"What if he'd suffocated? How would you feel then?" Remus would say disapprovingly. Though Sirius could often see a flicker of amusement on his friend's face. He rolled on to his stomach and dozed off to sleep, dreaming. He was running down a windowless passage, drawing closer to the plain black door at the end of the corridor. Something behind that door lured him in. It seemed as if the plain black door moved at the same speed he did, it did not seem to be getting any closer. Finally he reached the door, as he leant forward to push it open, everything around him disappeared and he was now looking down on a small white room. A woman sat near the window. She had tears in her eyes. Sirius had a great desire to comfort the woman. He saw her long blonde hair resting against her bony shoulders. It was no longer thick and beautiful but had thinned and was now quite messy. Her bronzed skin, now pale and ghostly. She looked well beyond her years. As if she had lived enough pain to last a lifetime. Sirius felt as if he knew the woman. As if it were his job and his alone to soothe the poor woman's pain, though he couldn't. He could have been a bird, an angel. Either way, the woman could not see him. All of a sudden the room dissolved and Sirius was falling gracefully backward. He felt a sense of relief as a cool veil swept against his skin. He saw eyes around him as he fell, they all watched him silently, before a shrill and triumphant scream was heard and everything went silent once again.


	2. Detention

Sirius woke with a start. He looked around the room, remembering where he was. He was in his bed in Gryffindor Tower, not running down a deserted corridor, not watching the tired blonde sob and certainly not falling. Though it was a strangely real dream, Sirius put it out of his mind and looked at the surrounding beds. It seemed that James and Remus had both returned and were now sound asleep. However when Sirius looked to Peter's bed, he found it remained empty. 'Probably got trapped in a toilet cubicle again.' Sirius thought to himself, as he looked out on the frosty grounds. He believed that in his entire time at Hogwarts, this was probably the earliest he had woken. Rising from his bed, he grabbed some clothes from his trunk before strolling into the bathroom for a shower. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw that same attractive face staring back at him. Sirius gave himself a wink. "Morning Handsome." He grinned. After he had showered, Sirius pulled on his jeans and his t-shirt and walked down into the common room where he saw several people chatting quietly. Many turned and looked at him, a few of them waving. He sat down with his Quidditch team mates Elias Beery and Tom Moran to discuss their upcoming match against Ravenclaw. After several minutes of arguing about tactics, the conversation was disturbed.

"What are you doing up, mate?" James said, as he sat down on the arm of Sirius' chair.

"Just couldn't sleep. Hey, where did you get to last night?" Sirius asked. James was embarrassed but he knew that if he could trust anyone, it would be Sirius Black.

"I...err. I was upset about Lily," He said, avoiding Sirius' gaze. He didn't want to see the disappointment or pity in his best friend's eyes. He wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Mate, not again," Sirius said, patting his friend on the back. "Don't worry, she'll come around." He hoped that this was true. He hated seeing his friend upset. Suddenly, as if hearing her name, Evans walked through the portrait hole, closely followed by Glossin.

"You should really go back. She'll go nuts when she realizes you're gone," She nagged, before her eyes met James' and her smile instantly changed to a scowl. Quickly, she stormed up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Glossin simply sighed before trailing after her. James now sat silently, his eyes resting on the place where Lily had disappeared.

"Anyhow-" Sirius said, breaking the silence. "The Hogsmeade trip is today and I think that it's a perfect chance to mess with Snivellus, what do you reckon?" James' eyes flicked mischievously to Sirius.

"Agreed." He grinned.

Later that day the boys were walking through Hogsmeade when they saw Severus Snape sitting alone on a bench. He had ice-cream sitting on the tip of his long hooked nose. James pulled out something from one of his many Zonko's Wizarding Joke Shop bags. He opened his hand to Sirius and they both nodded as James opened the small package.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he whispered, levitating it towards Snape's head. Suddenly Professor McGonagall stepped out in front of the levitating Zonko's Mighty Itching Powder. James tried to send the powder flying around her, but the damage was done. She was hit right in the chest and instantly started scratching all over, her hair falling out of its tightly fixed bun. Sirius found this quite a sight and could not contain his laughter. That was until McGonagall advanced on the two boys.

That night Sirius ventured off to the Transfiguration classroom for his first detention of the three he had been given. In addition to this, forty house points had been deducted from Gryffindor. James had been sent to clean the corridors with the caretaker. The teachers always separated them, Merlin knew why. That's why Sirius always carried his Two Way Mirror to detentions. He just hoped that McGonagall would leave him to do his detention alone so that he could use it to talk to his friend. As Sirius entered the room, he saw a girl sitting on a table chatting with the teacher.

"Oh Mr. Black, kind of you to join us," McGonagall said, sternly. "Miss Glossin here will be joining you for your detention." Sirius looked up and saw the blonde Gryffindor girl look around at him. Her lip had swelled up and was beginning to bruise, but nevertheless she gave him a reluctant smile and slide graciously off of the table. Sirius felt his stomach drop; he wasn't going to be able to use his Two-Way Mirror whilst Glossin was around. Professor McGonagall had arranged for the two to clean the Trophy Room. After a while, she left them alone to finish. Jane was silently cleaning an award for someone called Tom Riddle for Special Services to the School when she heard a noise behind her and turned to see Sirius clutching his pocket. The Two-Way Mirror was now shifting around inside. Jane couldn't know about the mirror so he kept it hidden. She looked up at him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, concern on her face.

"Yeah I'm fine," He muttered irritably. Jane wasn't so sure but decided to continue with her cleaning. The two worked in silence for several more minutes, until Jane spoke.

"Tell me, did you really hit McGonagall with Itching Powder?" She asked, imagining the scene of the stern, uptight Transfiguration teacher jumping about frantically.

"Yeah. We weren't aiming for her though." Jane stood up, now intrigued. "We were aiming for Snape but she got in the way," He added.

"Ha Snape! Well good on you. Someone needs to teach that boy a lesson. I don't know why Lily put up with him for so long." A thought came across Sirius' mind.

"Hey why are you here, anyhow? I never would have expected the quiet, studious, goody-two shoes friend of Lily Evans to be in detention. Doing it for extra credit or something?"

"I resent that." Jane smirked. "Well actually I kind of snuck out of the hospital wing and long story short, I ended up jinxing a few Slytherins. I've got detention every night for an entire week." She sighed. "But while we're making shocking assumptions about each other, why don't I give it a shot?" Sirius stopped polishing the trophy he was holding and looked at Jane attentively. "Let me see." She clapped her hands together, pacing back and forth. "You grew up in upper class London, the perfect pompous son, no doubt loved by everyone and when you came to Hogwarts nothing changed. Still popular, still extremely self-assured, still loved by everyone. Hogwarts would probably shut down if you stopped showing up." Sirius laughed at how wrong she was.

"Glossin, you've got it completely wrong. Hogwarts wouldn't shut down without me. Gryffindor Tower, perhaps." He smirked. The two talked all night, doing some cleaning here and there. When they were finally dismissed they walked up to the common room together, talking about anything and everything. Jane told Sirius the entire traumatic story of her swollen lip and he soon found out that she loved Quidditch and that they barracked for the same team. The Puddlemere United.

"A lot of the girls say I shouldn't care about playing Quidditch. Apparently the only value of a broomstick is to check out the guys riding them," Jane said, rolling her eyes as they walked into the portrait hole. "Quidditch is for boys," She imitated her classmate Ruby Stoles' high whiny voice. Sirius laughed. It did sound remarkably like that Stoles girl.

"You don't like checking out boys on brooms?" Sirius said jokingly. Jane laughed, making him feel a strange warmth inside.

"As long as I'm sitting on my own broom when I do it then I'm happy.' She smiled.

"What kind of broom have you got?"

"Just a Shooting Star," Jane said, quietly.

"Well, they're pretty good," Sirius said just as quietly.

"Don't mock me, Black," Jane said darkly. Sirius laughed.

"Okay, they're awful broomsticks. I'll tell you what. I'll let you borrow my Nimbus 1001 on the odd occasion. How about that?"

"Wow, you have a Nimbus 1001? I am so jealous. Don't be surprised if you come back to your dormitory one day and find your broomstick has mysteriously disappeared." Jane smiled. Sirius just laughed again. "Really, I'd be sleeping with one eye open if I were you. Oh wow, look at the time. I'd better get to bed or Lily will send out a search party." They smiled at each other. "Goodnight."

"Night Glossin." She walked up the stairs and out of sight. When Sirius heard the door shut behind her, he let out a sigh. Jane tiptoed across the floor of her dormitory. She did not want Lily to catch her sneaking to bed so late. As Jane pulled on her flannelette pajamas, her hopes were smashed by the muttering of four little words.

"Where have you been?" Jane collapsed on to her bed.

"Detention. Don't you remember me saying 'Lily, I'm off to detention now. Don't wait up.'"

"Don't you be cute with me, Miss Glossin. I also recall you saying you'd be back by ten o'clock."

"Lils you know I love you, but you need a life." Lily remained silent. "Oh don't act like you're upset. I'm not going to fall for it." Lily did not say a word. Several moments passed before Lily heard scuffling across the carpet, the sound of her curtain being pulled and felt a weight land at her feet. "You suck, you know that?" Jane said. Lily just laughed. "If you really want to know, Sirius and I were chatting." At this moment Lily sat up.

"Black? Why were you chatting-" Lily put emphasis on the word. "-with Black?"

"He was in detention, and-"

"Well that doesn't surprise me," Lily interrupted. It was Jane's turn to use the silent treatment. "I'm sorry. Continue," Lily said, reluctantly.

"Sirius and I were in detention together and we discovered that we have a lot in common," Jane said. "That's all."

"A lot in common? With Black?"

"His name's Sirius."

"His name's Satan."

"What's your problem with Sirius, anyway?"

"His arrogant, he's cruel, he's annoying. Need I go on?"

"They're the exact same words you use for James."

"Those Marauders are all the same!" Lily shouted, a bit too loud. There was a groan as the other girls in the dormitory stirred. She lessened her voice to a whisper. "They're all the same."

"You like Remus," Jane objected.

"He's the exception," Lily muttered.

"Lily, you see only what you want to see," Jane said, lifting herself off Lily's bed and climbing into her own. Rolling on to her side, she thought about the night's events. She had actually had a friendly conversation with Sirius Black. Closing her eyes, she dozed off, dreaming of trophies and zooming broomsticks.


	3. Christmas Trees & Flamingos

Jane woke up after only a few hours' sleep. She wore a broad smile across her face. After a moment she realized someone was poking her in the ribs. Opening her eyes, she saw an amused redhead leaning over her.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" She jumped, her grin disappearing.

"What were you dreaming about?" Lily asked, with the same amused expression.

"I don't know," Jane mumbled, pulling the sheets off herself. "I can't remember."

"Do you think perhaps it could have been about something that starts with 'S' and ends in 'irius Black'?" Lily smirked.

"Of course not," Jane countered.

"Good" Said Lily, seriously. "He's bad news. Now, get up. We have Potions in twenty minutes." Jane climbed out of bed and quickly snatched up her robes, rushing to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, the pair were rushing down the Dungeon staircase, each with their Advanced Potion-Making textbook and their Draught of Living Death essay in hand. They rushed into the classroom and sat themselves down at the front most table. "Evans. Glossin." Slughorn nodded. "Well, it looks like everyone is present, so let's brew some potions." He grinned, clapping his hands together. "Turn to page 346 of your textbooks and remind yourselves of the process of creating the Draught of Living Death. You'll each be making this potion today." He smiled. The students all opened their textbooks, as Slughorn walked around collecting essays. Jane could hear the Marauders whispering in the back of the classroom. Their hushed voices echoing off the cold stone walls. She turned around, and as she did Sirius' eyes flicked up to meet hers. He sent her a smile, before turning back to his friends and continuing the muffled conversation.

At ten minutes to eight that evening, Jane closed her books and silently rose from her armchair. Waving goodbye to Lily, she left the Gryffindor Common Room and slowly made her way down to the Hogwarts grounds. At lunch, Jane had been disrupted by McGonagall just as she was about to bite into a pheasant sandwich.

"Glossin, you'll be serving your detention with Hagrid this evening," She had said sternly. "Be at his hut at 8 o'clock sharp." And she was gone. As Jane passed a statue of Lachlan the Lanky she heard someone call her name. Turning around, she saw Sirius rushing to catch up, Potter not far behind.

"Are you with Hagrid tonight, too?" He asked, happily. Jane nodded, and as she did so, she could have sworn she saw Potter sigh disappointedly. Slowly the three made their way down to the grounds quietly. Sirius was the first to break the silence. "I'm so glad we're with Hagrid tonight," He said, more to himself than to anyone. "He won't be too harsh on us. We'll be out of here in no time."

"Oh, do you know him well?" Jane asked, jumping at the chance to end the awkwardness. "I've only heard stories. Like the one where he got expelled in third year for hiding werewolf cubs underneath his bed." She chuckled at the absurdity of the rumour. However, the other two remained quite silent. Minutes later, after another long stretch of silence, the group arrived outside Hagrid's small wooden hut. James tapped on the door and moments later it opened to reveal a towering figure. Hagrid was a fierce looking man, with long wild black hair and a bushy beard.

"Well, there yer are." The man smiled happily. "Come in," He added, urging them inside. The inside of Hagrid's hut was cramped, exacerbated by the presence of the three Gryffindors now squished inside. "Ah Jane, is it?" He asked, raising his dinner plate sized hand to shake Jane's delicate one. "Welcome ter my humble abode. It's not much but it's home," He explained, gently.

"It's lovely." Jane smiled back up at him.

"So, what did you want us to do?" James asked, sitting down at the small round table and helping himself to some treacle fudge.

"Well it's December now, so I'll be taking twelve Christmas trees into the Great Hall, just like last year," Hagrid replied, as he went about making tea. "We'll need ter cut them down, first o' course." He chuckled. Once he had finished preparing the tea, Hagrid placed a pot and four cups on the table before he sat down with the Gryffindors, leaning back comfortably in his chair.

"Help yerself." He beamed at Jane, who happily obliged. Having missed breakfast, she could not wait to get something into her stomach. When all were well fed, Hagrid stood up from the table and raised his large dirt covered hand.

"We'd better get a move on. Don't wan' the three of yeh out late," He said, as he crossed to room in two long strides. He picked up a large axe and opened the cabin door, striding off into the night. Jane, Sirius and James hurried after him. Jane found it rather difficult to keep up with the man's long strides. After several minutes, Hagrid came to a stop. "This looks about righ'," He said, looking at the tall surrounding trees. He walked up to the nearest tree, placing his hand on it. "Perfect. Now, I'm gonna cut the trees down. You three will catch 'em," He said, lifting his axe to the tree stump. James' eyes widened.

"Wait," He said. "We're not using magic?"

"It's okay, Prongs." Sirius smirked. "Even though you have the upper body strength of a Puffskein, the three of us should be able to handle it." James mock laughed, before nudging his head at Jane, who was now standing at the root of the tree, holding her arms in the air, prepared to catch it.

"Will Glossin be able to handle it?" He whispered. Sirius considered this, before walking over to Jane.

"Did you want me to go here? It's where the tree will be the heaviest." Jane looked at the boy for a moment.

"No thanks," She replied kindly, returning to her position. A smile formed on Sirius' face as he walked back to his position midway between Jane and James. Suddenly, Hagrid started chopping at the trunk, each cut shaking the tree furiously. Slowly it lowered right into Jane's hands and they were it carrying into the nearby clearing. Eleven trees later, the trio were panting quite loudly. Much to James and Sirius' surprise, Jane had kept up brilliantly. She had been determined to prove her worth to not only her classmates, but also to herself. Once they had been dismissed, the three climbed the Hogwarts grounds, with hands full of treacle fudge, at Hagrid's insistence.

"I'm genuinely impressed, Glossin," Said James. "For such a scrawny person, you're very strong." Sirius shot him a stunned look. Meanwhile, Jane just laughed out of embarrassment.

"Scrawny? Gee thanks. It's an outrage you haven't snapped Lily up yet with natural charm like that," She joked. Sirius and James both sniggered at this.

҉

"Potter! Black! Will you pay attention?" Professor McGonagall snapped irritably across the Transfiguration classroom the next morning. Jane watched as the two boys in front of her jumped and looked up at the stern woman. Peering over James' shoulder, she saw what they had been working on for the past ten minutes. Sitting between the two was a rather realistic drawing of Snape sitting on what looked like a bright pink flamingo. They had been particularly detailed with the grease droplets falling from his slimy hair. It was the end of class, and everyone had packed up their books.

"Now that Potter and Black have been kind enough to join us," She glared. Jane heard Lily scoff, and it appeared that James had too, as his eyes darted to the side. "I would like all of you to write a 500 word summery of chapter eight. Due tomorrow." At this, a hushed groan spread through the room, as everyone slid from their chairs and made their way to the door just as the bell rang. "Glossin, Potter, Black," Called McGonagall, waving them over. Reluctantly, Jane wandered to the front of the room. "This evening you three will be visiting the Detention Chamber." Jane sighed. She hated the Detention Chamber. A small cramped room located in the Dungeons. There was a single bench in which students could sit. But nothing else. "You may go." Looking around, Jane met the boys' eyes, and noticed that they weren't nearly as disappointed. In fact, they looked rather pleased. "And Glossin, keep practicing your human transfiguration. You'll pick it up." Silently, they left together.

"Why are you two looking so pleased about going to the Detention Chamber?" Jane asked. Sirius and James looked at each other.

"Because we don't have to do any work." James shrugged.

"Well, I guess if you have someone else in there with you, it's not so bad. I've only ever been there by myself. After the first hour, it gets really boring."

Jane, Sirius and James went down to the Dungeons that evening. On the way, James briefed Sirius on the contents of a letter he had received from his father.

"He said there's a rumour that Voldemort has employed seers to scan the future for any oncoming attacks." Jane's heart sank. "I sure hope it's just a rumour."

"Bloody hell, so do I," Sirius exclaimed, as they descended the dungeon steps. Once McGonagall had locked the chamber doors and disappeared, James turned to Jane.

"I have a proposition," He said, matter of factly. Sirius simply sat in the corner of the room with one eyebrow raised.

"I'm listening," Jane replied, intrigued.

"I propose an exchange of information. I noticed that you were having trouble with your human transfiguration today. I happen to be exceptional at transfiguration. In particular, the human kind." He smiled and winked at Sirius.

"Right." Jane nodded.

"I'd be happy to teach how to do it." He crossed his arms.

"And what information do I have to give you?" She humoured him.

"Just a few tips on how to get Lily to talk to me."

"Oh," Jane smirked. "-that."

"It's a great offer." He grinned cheesily. Jane considered him for a moment. She had been the only person in the class who was unable to perform the human transfiguration. This concerned her, as she had worked very hard to make it into the N.E.W.T class and had only just scraped by. To become an Auror, she would need to excel at this particular magic. Slowly she lifted her hand to shake his.

"Deal."

҉

Jane had a troubled night's sleep. A familiar man with scruffy dark hair and deep grey eyes wove in and out of her dreams. He grinned, and Jane moved around restlessly, her hands inadvertently shooting to her stomach. Suddenly he was replaced by a group of wizards wearing their lime green uniform robes. They looked down at Jane, with pity etched across their faces. Their lips moved, but they did not make a sound. She awoke abruptly in a cold sweat, just as the dormitory door slammed shut. Jane slowly lifted her pajamas and looked down at her deeply scarred stomach. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, as she reluctantly lifted herself out of bed.


	4. Pick Your Poison

Snow was beginning to pile up on the Hogwarts Grounds and a cold chill filled the corridors. Hagrid had already single-handedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees to the Great Hall. Banisters were covered with garlands of holly and tinsel, and candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armor. Sirius noticed, like every year, an increase in the large groups of girls converging around mistletoe bunches everywhere he went, causing blockages in the corridors.

Walking out of the History of Magic classroom, he and James began towards the Great Hall for lunch.

"No detention with Glossin tonight. It's almost a shame," James joked, fastening his bag. Sirius looked up at him for a moment, thinking. As he did, someone pushed past them and he turned to see that it was Bertram Aubrey, a Ravenclaw boy from their class. Aubrey would often sit on the other side of the classroom and send deadly glares towards the Marauders every time they whispered something to each other. Sirius and James slowly made their way down a staircase and into the Entrance Hall, where Sirius saw Professor McGonagall standing with a second year Gryffindor girl. Lifting his wand up, Sirius pointed it directly at Aubrey's back.

"Engorgio Skullus," he said, and without warning Aubrey's head began to grow at an alarming rate. Everyone turned to look at him in shock. Some people were trying desperately to stifle a laugh behind their hands, as his head was now twice its normal size.

"Why would you do that?" James exclaimed, looking at Sirius in confusion.

"Potter, Black. Detention!" Shouted McGonagall, as she sent her own spell flying at Aubrey, causing his head to stop growing. Suddenly something clicked in James' mind and he understood what Sirius had been thinking.

That evening the two boys set off towards the Detention Chamber.

"I hate you," James muttered, as he reluctantly followed Sirius. They walked past the History of Magic classroom and down a darkened corridor. Sirius ignored him as he opened the door to the Detention Chamber. Inside McGonagall and Jane abruptly stopped talking and looked over at him seriously.

"Come in," McGonagall said sternly. "I swear the two of you are trying to send me to an early grave," she barked, making her way to the door. She turned back, her face completely changed as she nodded at Jane in acknowledgement, before closing the door behind her. Sirius heard the lock click as he turned to see Jane staring absentmindedly at the door.

"Fancy seeing you here," he exclaimed, to which she simply looked up and smiled. "Are you okay?" He asked, taking a step toward her.

"I'm fine," she answered, almost too quickly. "I thought you two had served all your detentions," she said, sitting down against the wall.

"This genius got us another one," James replied, punching Sirius in the arm. "And talking of geniuses, I'm beginning to think you've been taking the mick," he added, pointing his finger at Jane.

"Me? How, sir?" Jane asked, humoring him.

"I paid a first year off with chocolate frogs to fill Evan's dormitory with lilies while she was at lunch."

"You used an eleven year old to court Evans?" Sirius laughed.

"Hey, she was happy. She had her frogs."

"James, that's not what I told you to do." Jane shook her head. "Lily doesn't like grand gestures. You need to just relax and be honest with her. Let her know that it's not about the chase."

"That sounds time consuming," James groaned, sitting down on the opposite side of the room.

Jane closed her eyes for several minutes as she imagined the Christmas dinner she'd be having with her family in just one week. Just like every year, she would sit with her father and they would watch as her mother would gradually become tipsy, as she told the family the story of how she had met Bertie Bott at a sweets store in Glasgow sometime in the 1940's, and she had suggested the idea of sweets that tasted like different types of foods.

Suddenly, Jane became aware of the whispering happening on the other side of the chamber. She opened her eyes to find James and Sirius stood huddled with their backs to her. She could pick up the occasional whispered word. After several moments, James turned around happily.

"Come on, Glossin. We'd better get a move on." Jane quickly stood up, a puzzled look on her face.

"A move on for what?"

"Tell me, how do you feel about the consumption of alcohol on school premises?" James asked, folding his arms across his chest in a questioning manner.

"I'm open to it," she replied. "But I don't know where you expect to find any. The kitchens don't even store it. I've tried."

"What if I were to tell you that Slughorn spends a considerable amount of time in the Potions classroom with his various bottles of mead?"

"I'd say how do we get out of here?" At this, James grinned and pulled a sheet of parchment from his pocket. Touching his wand to it, he looked at Jane.

"Glossin," he grinned, not taking his eyes off hers. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." She stared back for several moments, confused as to what he had said. Suddenly she noticed that something was happening to the parchment. Thin ink lines had begun to spread like a spider's web from the point that James' wand had touched. The lines slowly began to form great, curly green words. Upside down, she read.

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Wizard Extraordinaires are proud to present_

_THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

"The Marauder's Map?" Jane muttered aloud. It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. Not only this, but on the map, tiny ink dots moved about, each labeled with a name. Looking closer, Jane noticed a labeled dot in the centre of the parchment, showing that Lily Evans was in the Gryffindor Common Room; Hagrid was walking by the greenhouses outside; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. This map showed a set of passages Jane had never entered.

"And we are the Marauders," James said, moving his arms about theatrically. He walked over to the mirror which hang on the far wall and pushed it aside. Jane hurried over to the open passage which James was now standing in front of and looked inside in amazement.

"Ladies first." James smiled, gesturing her inside. Jane looked at him nervously. He simply nodded in encouragement.

"Jane, I promise we'll be right behind you," Sirius said, strolling up behind them. Looking into his eyes, she believed him and reluctantly stepped into the passageway. She walked for about a minute, hoping desperately that there would be an exit at the other end. When she felt the passage end, she pushed hard against the wall in front of her, and relief flooded over her when it started to move. She quickly stepped out from behind a portrait of an odd looking wizard in purple robes. He wore a strange device on his head which magnified his eyes, making him look like an insect. Looking around, she noticed that she was standing in the Dungeons, and a cold shiver spread across her. As promised, Sirius stepped out of the passage moments later, followed by James. They both smiled at her, as Sirius walked past and down a nearby corridor.

Jane followed him for several moments, before someone closed their hand around her wrist and she was pulled backward to where James was now slowing his steps.

"You do realize that Sirius hexed Aubrey so that he could spend more time with you?" James whispered, smirking. Jane looked up at him disbelievingly. He simply nodded at her. Suddenly Sirius stopped at the other end of the corridor and turned around.

"Hey James, let's pick up the pace," he whispered. No one spoke for several moments, until James strolled past Sirius happily, patting him on the back.

"Let's." He grinned, as he continued walking. Sirius stood still for a moment, puzzled. When he looked at Jane, she simply shrugged. He waited, as she continued along the corridor a little bemused, and together they followed James.

"So, pick your poison," he said. "Firewhiskey, Daisyroot Draught, or mead?"

"Firewhiskey," she replied, as they strolled along.

"I remember the night I moved into Potter Manor, Mr. Potter asked me that same question. It was the first time an adult had spoken to me like an equal. It was nice," Sirius said, trailing off. But something had caught Jane's attention.

"You live with James?" She asked. Sirius looked at her.

"My parents were trying to dictate who I should be. A pure blood maniac just like them. It wasn't a fun home to grow up in." Jane stared at him seriously, as she came to the realization that everything she thought about the boy beside her was incredibly wrong.

"Well, you seem to have turned out okay," she said. "They should be proud to have a son like you. If they can't see that, than they're not worth your time." Jane exclaimed. moments later regretting it. "Sorry," she said, covering her mouth. "I just insulted your family."

"No it's fine," he laughed. "Someone calling it as they see it. In my opinion it doesn't happen nearly often enough." He smiled down at her, beguiled. Suddenly there was a hiss and they both looked up to see James on the other end of the corridor.

"Stay there!" He mouthed. "Filch is coming." And he disappeared around a corner.

Jane could hear footsteps. They were becoming louder, as her heart started to beat hard in her chest. She noticed Sirius reach into his pocket as he pulled her towards him and wrapped one arm around her. Without warning, something soft and silvery was thrown over her head just as the glow of a lantern flickered across the walls. She turned to see the caretaker, Argus Filch edging closer, a lantern in his hand. He didn't seem to notice them as he slowly walked past where Jane and Sirius now stood huddled together. She could feel the boy's chest rising and falling with every breath and the hairs on her arms stood on end. After several moments, Filch's footsteps had faded away and Sirius pulled the silvery fabric from their heads.

"Invisibility Cloak," he said, at the mystified look on Jane's face. Looking down, they simultaneously realized that he was still clutching tight to her. Suddenly he let go, and silently they made their way up the dark corridor towards Slughorn's office. However, just as they turned a corner, they collided with someone and there was an almighty clatter as several glass bottles fell to the ground and smashed. Looking up, they saw James standing amongst it, a single bottle of Firewhiskey clutched tightly in his hand.

"Where are ya?" they heard Filch shout, his voice becoming closer by the second. "I'll find you rotten little guttersnipes, and when I do-"

"RUN!" James yelled, and the three of them sprinted down the corridor, not looking back to see whether Filch was following. They turned a corner and then another one. They were almost to the entrance of the dungeons, but when Jane started turning left towards the staircase, Sirius caught her and pulled her to the right.

"This way, there's a passage behind the statue of Merlin."

"The portrait of Elizabeth Burke is closer," James added, as he caught up to them. The bottle of Firewhiskey was sloshing around in his hand.

"You're right." Sirius responded. "This way." And he took a sharp right, pulling Jane along behind him. She could hear Filch's shouts as he chased them through the maze of the dungeons. They charged through a portrait and found themselves in a hidden passageway, which they hurtled through, finally coming out somewhere near their Charms classroom on the third floor.

"I think we've lost him," Sirius panted, as he leaned against the cold wall and wiped his forehead. James was clutching his stomach and laughing heartily. "Blimey Prongs, did you really need to take _all_of the booze?" Sirius smirked, before he and Jane joined in, laughing as they made their way into the closest classroom and sat down on the desks.

"I hope you like Firewhiskey," James said, pulling the top off the only remaining bottle. He poured it into his mouth, shaking his head crazily as he swallowed it, before passing the bottle to Sirius who reacted much the same way. "So Glossin," James began, as Jane took a swig from the bottle and her throat was filled with a burning sensation. "How do I win Lily over?" Jane passed the bottle to him.

"You talk to her," Jane said simply. "Be her friend and treat her like an equal," she said, peering at Sirius who looked right back. "That's all anyone really wants. To be seen for who they are."

"You're not like other girls," Sirius muttered, "You're just so sane."

"Believe me, I'm not as together as I seem," Jane replied, as she looked down at her hands, thinking about how wrong she had been about Sirius and how wrong he now was about her.

An hour later, after a thorough discussion on the existence of Nargles within the Hogwarts mistletoe, Jane sat up promptly from her position lying across the desk.

"Detention!" She exclaimed, and suddenly the two boys sat up and the three, taking a quick look at the Marauders' Map, rushed from the classroom and down the nearest staircase. They ran through portraits of stern old witches, vicious looking goblins and a wizard with two heads. Finally Jane recognized the portrait of the bug eyed man from earlier in the Dungeons, and together the three bolted down the secret passageway which led to the Detention Chamber. Breathlessly they jumped out from behind the large mirror, closing it behind them, before collapsing to the ground. The three lay on the cold stone floor, pleading for the Firewhiskey to stay down, when Professor McGonagall opened the door and looked around the room, curiously.

"You may go," she said, confusion in her eyes. Slowly, the trio rose to their feet and left the room without a word.

Once back in the Common Room, James began towards the boys dormitories, before turning around and looking at Jane.

"You're fun. I like you," he said happily, before continuing up the stairs and out of sight. Sirius and Jane looked at each other awkwardly for a moment.

"Well, good night," she smiled, turning and walking towards to the girls' dormitories.

"Yeah, g- goodnight," he muttered, as she too disappeared.


	5. Weekend at Potter Manor

Over the next few weeks, Jane became closer to the Marauders, as they treated her like one of the boys. She regularly had ideas for terrorizing the Slytherins, and James began to look forward to hearing each arising plot. Jane always invited Lily along in the hope that she'd see the decent side of James, but she was unsurprised to find that the girl would passionately decline every time.

She tried hard to help James win Lily over. But whenever the latter would enter the room, James' hand would automatically fly to his hair. A habit Jane knew her best friend hated. _"Messing up his hair because he thinks it looks cool to look like he's just got off his broomstick. What a prat."_

Jane looked forward to her occasional Quidditch games with the Marauders. She found it a refreshing change to be up in the skies of Hogwarts, which up until recently she had avoided due to the judgements of Paloma Stoles and her friend Grace Brown. Grace, who Jane had always had a polite relationship with, was a pretty Ravenclaw girl, with honey blonde hair. She had a distinct habit of using her hands to excess whenever she spoke.

Jane regularly caught herself eagerly watching Sirius Black zoom around on his Nimbus 1001. How she wanted to be riding that broom herself. A feeling of envy swept across her as she watched him speed across the pitch and throw the Quaffle into one of the three hoops. He threw his arms up in triumph and his sleeve fell, exposing the muscular forearm beneath. Jane tore her eyes from the scene in front of her and looked down to the grounds where she saw a crowd of girls watching the game eagerly, they giggled loudly as Sirius Black gave them a wave and Jane felt another flash of envy.

Sirius enjoyed the new addition to the group. He found it refreshing to have a girl around who did not cling on to him like a leech. But at the same time, part of him wished she clung more. Sirius would watch Jane while playing Quidditch with his friends. She was really quite good at it; he wondered why she hadn't signed up for the house team in all these six years. He would watch her zoom up and down the pitch, her long golden ponytail waving in the wind. Sirius had admitted to himself that he felt something for this girl, something he hadn't felt before. He felt strangely nervous whenever she was around, a combination of excitement and fear.

One day the Marauders sat at the very back of the library with Jane, right beside a large garland of holly and mistletoe hung against the wall. Jane was playing with small hole in the sleeve of her robes. She had felt bad about spending more time with the Marauders, as it limited the time that she could spend with Lily.

"Don't worry Jane. Lily said that she was fine with you hanging around with us this afternoon, right?" Said Remus, over the top of his book.

"I guess. But I still feel bad," Jane sighed.

"You're one of us now. You're an honorary Marauder," said James with a grin.

"Oh wow, what a privilege." Jane laughed.

"Hey look Padfoot," James whispered. "Willow Harington is watching you again." Sirius, Peter and Jane followed James' eyes to the opposite side of the library where there stood a girl with long black hair tied back in a plait. She was indeed looking in their direction.

"Yeah you two got together that night last year, didn't you?" Said Peter's squeaky voice. Jane looked over at Sirius' face; he was looking at her as if waiting for her to say something. She said nothing and looked down at her hands. Sirius sat watching the top of her head as she determinedly started tracing her finger along the table. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want Jane of all people to think he was like that. She'd want nothing to do with him. James seemed to sense the tension in the group, as he looked between Sirius and Jane.

"So Sirius and I have decided that everyone has to come to my house these holidays, okay? That includes you Glossin." Jane looked up.

"Oh yeah, of course. Lily's staying at my house for a few nights but after that I'll definitely come." Jane smiled to James, avoiding Sirius' watchful eyes.

"Invite her," said James, a little too enthusiastically.

"Well I could try James, but your chances aren't good."

"As much as I enjoy the company of men, I have other plans," squeaked Peter.

"Well I guess we'll see you after the holidays then,' said Sirius, giving Peter a menacing stare for letting slip about his rendezvous with Harington.

* * *

James and Sirius stood in the kitchen of Potter Manor, preparing the Christmas turkey.

"So, you and Glossin ey?" Said James with a grin.

"What do you mean?" Sirius replied, a little too quickly.

"Oh come on Padfoot. I'm your best mate. Don't you think I can tell by now when you fancy a girl?" Sirius looked at his friend and decided that the truth was the best option.

"Fine, I like her okay. She's brilliant. But it's so weird, she actually makes me nervous. You know, sweaty palms and everything. No one's ever done that before."

"Blimey, I didn't know you liked her that much," James said, sitting the bowl of stuffing down. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," said Sirius, biting his lip.

"You should tell her mate. I have seen how she looks at you; she probably feels the same way. You are a handsome devil, after all." He winked.

"Ha, thanks Prongs." Sirius sighed.

"Tell her mate. My dad always says that we should tell people every day just how much they mean to us."

"Yeah maybe," Sirius mumbled, turning back to the turkey, as the fear returned once again.

* * *

Lily sat in the Glossin family kitchen, reading the Daily Prophet. Her friend was making pancakes for breakfast.

"Jane, tell me honestly. Do you have a thing for Sirius Black?" Jane turned around slowly and looked at her friend. Lily had a look of knowing on her face. She turned back to the pancakes and tried to act subtle.

"Why do you think that?" She was thankful that Lily could not see her face, which had turned scarlet in colour. She began placing the pancakes on two plates.

"That means yes! If you didn't like him, you would have just said no," Lily laughed, pushing the Daily Prophet aside.

"Okay, I do." Jane sighed. "Is it really that obvious?" She asked, turning around and carrying the plates to the table, worry on her face. Lily just looked up at her and smirked. "Do you think he knows?" Jane asked, concernedly.

"Maybe. But I wouldn't give him that much credit. He's kind of a moron," she replied, pouring syrup on to her pancakes. Jane gave her a desperate look. "Don't listen to me," Lily added. "It's just that I don't like change. You know I have major control issues."

"Yeah, I know." Jane poured syrup on to her own pancakes.

"I may not understand it, but I respect it. If you like Black, he can't be all that bad."

"You know who else is a nice guy? James." Jane smirked.

"Well now I _know_ you're barking mad."

* * *

Jane arrived at Potter Manor at around midday. As she walked up the drive, she saw a large shaggy black dog standing in the front yard. There was a certain familiarity about this dog. It's eyes gave the impression that it was amused, almost human-like. Jane put this out of her mind and continued up the drive, concerned about the coming weekend. She wasn't sure how she felt about her situation with Sirius. She was certain that she had strong feelings for the boy, but every so often she would remind herself of what she would be dragging him into. When she looked up again, the dog had disappeared and James and Sirius stood in its place.

"Hey Glossin, how have your holidays been?" James asked, taking Jane's bag.

"Yeah, good thanks. Lily's been over for the past week, she just left this morning." James was opening his mouth to speak when Jane cut him off. "I did ask her to come, I did. But she said no."

"Damn. Oh well, I'll show you to your room."

"Is Remus here yet?" Jane asked as she followed James into the house.

"No, not yet. He's been a bit sick for the past couple of days. He'll be here tomorrow night."

"That boy gets sick an awful lot, doesn't he?" Jane said more to herself than to James.

"Yeah…he does," James muttered. "Anyway, follow me." He showed Jane to her room and gave her a tour around the house. After a few minutes, she realized that Sirius had disappeared. Just as she was about to ask where he had gone, James spoke. "My mum was so excited when I told her you were coming," gesturing her back down the stairs.

* * *

Jane sat at the dinner table with James, Sirius and the two adult Potters, who were very interested to talk about Jane.

"So Jane dear, do you have a boyfriend?" Dorea Potter asked. Sirius looked up at her.

"Dear, don't embarrass the poor girl."

"She's not embarrassed, Charlus. Are you embarrassed Jane?" Mrs. Potter looked at her happily, causing Jane to let out a small nervous laugh. She _was_, in fact, embarassed.

"No, I don't have a boyfriend." she smiled.

"Why is that?" Dorea continued.

"Mum, I'm sure Jane doesn't want to talk about this with you over dinner." James cut in. But Mrs. Potter's eyes remained on Jane.

"I guess-" Jane began. "-I just haven't found the right person." She smiled kindly again. Mrs. Potter returned the smile, her eyes briefly flicking to Sirius before resting on her plate as everyone returned to their dinner. After a few moments Jane could still feel a set of eyes watching her, it was Sirius. His eyes pierced the side of her face but she didn't look up, she wouldn't look up.

"Jane," Mr. Potter said, resting his fork on the table. "The trick is to forget everything you've been told about love. Forget all of it," he added throwing his hands in the air. "The trick is to find your best friend and marry them." And he clasped his wife's hand in his own. At this James and Sirius winked and waved at each other romantically across the table.

The conversation soon turned to the war, and Jane shifted around awkwardly in her seat, as Mr. Potter relayed the goings on in the Auror Office, and the information that they had gathered on Voldemort.

"He's recruiting giants and werewolves, which are making up huge number," he said.

"We've been working on improving our relations with the Brotherhood of Goblins. They're not too happy with the Ministry at the moment; we're concerned that Voldemort might lure them in with promises of allowing them the same wand rights as wizards, which is rubbish," he scoffed. "Voldemort would never give wand rights to the goblins. In his eyes, that's almost as bad as giving them to the Muggles. Just last week, Eamon Duvalier up in the Goblin Liaison Office was arrested on suspicion that he's in cahoots with Voldemort. It just goes to show there's no way of telling who's working for him and who isn't. Everything's in disarray and no-one is safe." This made Jane even more unsettled. Mr. Potter was right; no-one was safe.


	6. Dorea's Mission

"Jane, dear. How do you like your stay so far?" Mrs. Potter asked, leading her up the main staircase.

"It's brilliant." Jane smiled. "This place is so much larger than our house. I'm surprised my parents actually let me come. They're very protective." Mrs. Potter smiled kindly at her as they reached the second landing of the house.

"And do you like living with your parents?" she asked. Jane thought this to be a strange question, but she answered regardless.

"Yeah, we get along really well." Mrs. Potter just smiled and nodded, as she opened the door to Sirius' room, where Jane was to sleep. The guest room was filled with all of Mrs. Potter's knitting equipment, and there was a lot of it. Walking in, Jane looked around the walls and saw poster upon poster of The Puddlemere United, moving photographs of the Marauders together, books on Quidditch, a beautifully detailed hand mirror, a wizards chess set, a box bearing the words "Grow-Your-Own-Warts" and what looked like a broomstick servicing kit.

"I hope this is okay," Mrs. Potter said. "I had Sirius tidy up a little before you arrived."

"It's twice as big as my bedroom at home," Jane beamed. "It'll have to do," she added in a snobbish voice. Much to Jane's surprise, Mrs. Potter wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. It didn't feel like an ordinary hug. There was something motherly about it. Letting her go, Mrs. Potter walked across the room, turning when she reached the doorway.

"Sweet dreams, Jane." She smiled, as she closed the door behind her.

Jane changed and went to sit on the large bed by the window. It framed the night sky and as she touched the cold glass, she felt a shiver go up her spine before climbing under the covers. The pillow smelled like Sirius; his distinct masculine scent, his shampoo with an aroma of oriental wood, citrus and spice.

She turned her back to the room and faced the dull white wall; it only took her a few seconds to notice the engravings _"J.P. 4 L.E."_ on the headboard. She then began noticing more and more of these engravings. _"Long live Marauders"_, _"Lily Evans"_, and _"James for Lily"_. It was at this moment that she noticed an engraving that was very different to all of the others. It was written much smaller than the rest, in tiny cramped writing containing no mention of Lily Evans. Jane wondered if James really loved himself that much, as she looked down at the tiny engraving of the letter _J _written in the centre of a heart. Jane closed her eyes and before long she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

"Mate she didn't even look at me the entire meal," Sirius said, burying his face in his hands, the following morning at breakfast, as he and James sat outside. "Do you think she hates me?"

"Of course she doesn't hate you. If she was acting like Lily, always calling you a prat, then I'd be concerned. But if Glossin hated you, you'd know. She pretty transparent like that," James reassured him, just as Jane came outside, wrapped in several layers of clothing. "How'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Good," she smiled kindly, rubbing her eyes.

James rushed through his breakfast and was getting up. As he stood, he gave Sirius a little wink that went unnoticed by Jane. After he was inside and the door had clicked behind him, Sirius looked over at Jane. She was so beautiful, even in the mornings. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Jane?" She realized that she was alone with Sirius and didn't look up, partly because of the huge bags hanging underneath her eyes.

"Jane, you have to tell me what I've done. I just wish I knew." After a few moments she looked up at him, there was sadness in her ocean blue eyes. Sirius instinctively got up and rounded the table. He was about to put his arms around her when he thought better of it and withdrew them.

"Sirius, you haven't done anything." Jane smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry; I've been such a bad friend to you," she said, as she rose to her feet. Sirius was caught quite off guard. "Can you ever forgive me?" Sirius looked into her eyes, confused.

"Um, sure," he said, moments before Jane wrapped her arm around his neck. As he felt her body rest against him, he was filled with complete happiness. He could have stayed like this forever. When Jane finally let go, she looked up at him and gave a genuine smile for the first time since she'd arrived.

Afterwards, the two spoke like nothing had happened.

"So what really did go on with Willow Harington, Sirius?" she said, biting into a slice of orange. He swallowed nervously.

"Oh, a Marauder never reveals his secrets." He smirked.

"Fine, don't tell me." Jane mock frowned, going back to her breakfast. After several moments, Sirius spoke.

"Madam Pince caught us snogging in the back of the library one night. She went crazy and charmed some books to chase us out. Then she told McGonagall, who gave us this big lecture about what is and what is not appropriate behaviour." He rolled his eyes as Jane tried to control her laughter.

At this moment, James came out and saw the scene in front of him. His two friends were back to their normal happy selves.

"When Peter mentioned you and Willow getting together last year, well I...sort of thought…"

"Oh Merlin! No Jane." James finally made his presence known. "Our little Sirius here is a…"

"James!" Sirius yelled.

* * *

That night Remus arrived. He still looked a little under the weather but in good spirits. Jane gave him a hug as he walked in the door, and Sirius tensed as he suddenly got a jealous feeling inside him. Noticing this, James whispered into his friend's ear.

"They're just friends." At this moment, Mrs. Potter scurried into the room.

"Remus, how have you been my dear?" And she engulfed him in her arms.

"Can't say the same for them. I reckon that's a bit suss," James said in disgust. Sirius saw James' face and burst into laughter.

That night, Sirius helped Mrs. Potter with dinner. He'd been desperate to escape James and his constant bids to leave him alone with Jane. Twice already, James had dragged Remus from the room, insisting that they would return, and twice Sirius had been left with Jane for up to twenty minutes, only to find that James and Remus were playing Exploding Snap in the next room.

"Jane's very nice, isn't she?" said Mrs. Potter, as she chopped up a carrot. Sirius gave the woman a funny look.

"Yeah, I suppose she is," he replied, stirring the gravy.

"And the two of you get along very well."

"Well we _are_ friends."

"Sirius," Mrs. Potter said, putting down the knife she'd been using. "I see the way you look at her. I just want you to be happy," she said, wrapping her arm around him. "And it looks to me like she does that. If she makes you happy, and if you feel like you know her, don't let her go." Sirius looked over at the woman. She'd always been able to tell just how he was feeling. "I know that you try not to care too much. That way you can't get disappointed. But no one ever got anywhere by being too cautious. I know your family made you that way, but you do care, even when you don't want to. Sweetheart, you see things in black and white. Jane doesn't. You need a spoonful of that." The woman smiled sweetly. "Stay close to her. I think she'll be good for you."

The next morning the four were eating breakfast outside when Mr. Potter came out the back door.

"James, I know you've got friends over but your mother would really like someone to de-gnome the garden and I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Sure thing Dad. I'll do it after breakfast."

"Good Man," Mr. Potter said, smiling kindly at Jane before disappeared back into the house.

After he had finished, James stood up and walked towards the garden, the rest not far behind.

"You guys don't have to do any work, you're the guests."

"Well I live here too, remember?" said Sirius.

"And we're not going to just sit around watching you two do all the work, are we?" Jane said. "Besides, I've never de-gnomed a garden before. It sounds like fun."

"Well if you're sure. You blokes can get started; I'll show Glossin how it's done." James led Jane over to a hole in the ground where he dug his hand in and pulled out a funny little potato looking creature. He took it by the ankles and spun it around a few times before throwing it out of the garden. "Aren't your family full-blood?" he asked, brushing his hands off. "How can you never have de-gnomed a garden?"

"They are," nodded Jane. "But I don't really spend much time outside my house," she added, digging her hand into the ground and extracting a second little creature, throwing out of the garden. James looked at her curiously, before patting her on the shoulder and walking away to the nearest gnome burrow. Jane soon picked it up and fast became skilled at the art of de-gnoming.

"James, if you ever need your garden de-gnomed, call on me." Jane smiled. "I reckon I could make a business out of this." And she threw the last of the gnomes out of the garden.

It was Jane's last night at the Potter's, and she decided to take a walk around the huge back garden. She stood in front of a large statue of a man. He had a long mane of hair and he clutched a long beautiful sword. It had the initials G.G. on it. Jane wondered why James would have a statue of Godric Gryffindor in his backyard. Perhaps he had all the Hogwarts Founders in his garden. Jane went deeper into the garden, in search of other statues. She was sitting by a fountain when she heard a noise behind her. She turned to see Sirius emerge from the shadows.

"Oh Sirius, you scared me half to death!" she said, clutching her chest.

"What happens if you get scared half to death twice?" Sirius inquired. Jane just rolled her eyes.

"These are the questions that haunt me. Yeah, sorry Jane. It's just such a beautiful night; I thought I'd go for a walk. Why are you out here?"

"Same reason. This place is so beautiful," Jane said as he sat down next to her by the fountain. "I don't want the break to end. I've loved staying here with you guys. It's been so much fun."

"Yeah it's been great." Sirius grinned. "But we can always continue on with all this at Hogwarts. Every day's a holiday with the Marauders!"

"Ha, I bet." Jane looked down into her reflection in the fountain. She saw Sirius' reflection turn around and look at her. She felt goose bumps erupt up her arm.

"Jane can you tell me why you were so distant from me when you arrived. Please, even though we're good now, I can't help but feel like I did something wrong." Jane looked into his eyes; she needed to tell the truth, well at least some of it.

"Sirius, to be honest, it's because you're…well, you. You're Sirius Black, the school player and…"

"What? No I'm not!" He swallowed. "I mean, I kind of am, but it's not how you think." Jane gave him a questioning look. "This is embarrassing but you're my friend, so-" She heard the word _friend_ and her heart dropped. "I think I can trust you to not go blabbing. The truth is, well…I'm…a virgin." He chuckled nervously. Jane burst into laughter until she saw the sincere look in Sirius' eyes and shock fell upon her. She tried to utter words but she was speechless. "I just haven't found the right girl, you know?" Sirius' face was turning red. At this moment, Jane felt a huge affection towards the boy sitting beside her. Sirius took a look into Jane's beautiful eyes and built up all his courage.

"Jane, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." She looked at him with her kind ocean blue eyes.

"Well it's probably really obvious. James says it is anyway." He looked down at his hands. Jane took his hand in hers.

"What is it, Sirius? What's the matter?"

"Oh no, nothing's the matter. It's just that well…Jane. These last few months have been so great and I'm so glad that we've got to know each other." He seemed to be having trouble. At this Jane answered.

"Well yes, I'm so glad that we're friends." Sirius froze at word _friends_. He sat for a moment in silence.

"Merlin Sirius, something's really bothering you. You can tell me." She put a hand on his shoulder, sending a chill down his spine.

"It's nothing, I'm just…tired. I think I'll go to bed. Goodnight Jane."

"Oh okay then," she replied, confused. "Well, goodnight Sirius." And he was gone. Jane sat by herself once again. She listened to the fountain, as the water hit the surface, echoing all through the garden. She watched the reflection of the water on the ground, the sweet glow that was emitted so freely. After a minute, she lifted her head to stand up and she saw him. Sirius Black stood in front of her, his long shaggy hair pushed back behind his ears.

"Jane, do you remember that night in the dungeons when we were hiding from Filch?" Jane nodded, walking up towards him. "I've been kicking myself ever since that night."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I didn't kiss you." She smiled, as he took his hands to either of her face. Her stomach did somersaults as she watched him lean into her, his soft lips finally meeting hers. Suddenly, every hesitation she had disappeared and she found herself kissing him back, as he ran his fingers along her jaw.

She drew away and looked deep into his eyes, smiling.

As the night grew darker, the pair walked back to the house hand in hand. They reluctantly parted ways as Jane entered her room and Sirius entered his. Both with wide grins across their faces.


	7. Hogwarts

The time came to return to Hogwarts and everyone was thrilled to see their friends again. Jane was sitting in the Great Hall for dinner that night with Lily.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You look suspicious. Shifty," Lily muttered, observing Jane's face. "I take it our matchmaking plans went well?" she added, with a smirk. Jane noticed some of the nosy girls in her year listening and just settled by giving Lily the thumbs up and whispering.

"I'll tell you later." Lily nodded and went back to her dinner. Jane looked around, she couldn't see Sirius anywhere, and she hadn't seen him since she'd left the Potter's, almost a week ago. Now that she thought about it, the only Marauder sitting at the Gryffindor table was Peter, who kept nervously looking over at the Slytherin table. Jane wondered why he seemed so anxious. Suddenly, she heard a yelp and turned to see Severus Snape jumping up and down as if he had ants in his trousers. At this moment, Jane located Sirius. She noticed something in the doorway to the Hall. A single hand was floating in midair, aiming a wand towards the Slytherin table. Jane felt a sense of pity for Snape, which was quickly extinguished when she heard the noises coming for him. She burst into laughter, along with the rest of the Gryffindor table. All but one; Lily was looking intently at her soup, refusing to look up. As Jane noticed the floating hand disappear, she stood up, quickly saying goodbye to Lily and made her way towards the Entrance Hall. She found Sirius and James cackling to themselves on the second floor landing.

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves," she smirked as she ran up the stairs towards them.

"Oh come on Glossin, you found it funny. I know you did." Jane couldn't hold back the smirk that was forcing itself on to her face.

"Okay, it was hilarious but was there any particular reason?"

"It's pretty much the fact that he exists."

"James, you used that explanation last year. You need some new material." She laughed. James swung his arm around her shoulder.

"I've got plenty of material, don't you worry about that." And the three marched up to the Common Room, linking arms.

"Hey where's Remus? I didn't see him at dinner."

"He needed to talk to Madam Pomfrey about…um something." James and Sirius shared a serious look.

"Oh okay. Well I hope he's alright," Jane said concerned.

"He's fine, don't worry about him," Sirius said putting his arms around Jane's waist.

"Oh Merlin, you two make me sick," James joked, standing up. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight guys."

"'Night," Sirius and Jane said in unison, as he rested his chin on her head. At this moment, a fourth year girl walked through the portrait hole. Jane tried to move away but Sirius wouldn't allow it and she gave in. The girl turned to see the two bodies intertwined. She gave Jane a scowl and retired to her dormitory. After a few moments of silence, Sirius decided to talk.

"Why did you pull away from me like that?" Jane turned to look him in the eyes. She could see the hurt inside them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her body against his.

"It's just that I don't like to be like this in public. I feel like everyone's watching me and it freaks me out." Sirius kissed the top of her head softly.

"I'll tell you something, people are always watching you, blokes in particular. It's just that I've always been really affectionate in public. I've never been with someone who wasn't."

"Believe me, I've noticed," Jane smirked and Sirius gave a mock laugh.

"The point is it's okay, we don't have to be. We can be private people," he said seriously. He smiled with an understanding look. Jane kissed him on the cheek before standing up.

"I'd better get to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." And she walked up to her room, turning to give him one last grin before disappearing up the stairs.

Jane and Lily were lying in their beds that night.

"So you two are actually a couple?"

"Yep, it's great. He's great! I know you don't like him much, but-"

"No, I'm happy for you. If he make you happy he can't be all that bad." Lily paused. "Just be careful though, okay? Remember who you're with." Jane just nodded. "You know that you're going to be hated by half the school now though." Lily laughed. Jane looked questioningly at her. "The female half."

"Well that's part of why I don't want everyone to know. You should have seen the fourth year that walked in on us earlier. She just glared at me."

"Ha ha, don't worry. I bet all the boys will be doing the same to Sirius."

The next morning, Sirius was sitting at the Gryffindor Table when Grace Brown came strutting up towards him. Grace was the kind of girl who didn't mind showing affection in public, and as Sirius' first kiss, it was her belief that no girl would ever be good enough for him, with the exception of herself.

"Hey Sirius. How was your holiday? I missed you." She grinned.

"Yeah, it was fine thanks Grace," he said, turning back to his breakfast.

"Oh you funny boy." She slapped his arm. Sirius, wondering what he had said that had brought her such amusement, continued with his porridge. "What did you get up to?"

"Just stayed at James' house," he answered, taking a spoonful to his mouth. At this, Grace began to get impatient and decided to get to the point.

"Do you want to come to Hogsmeade with me on the weekend?" Sirius put his spoon down and turned to her.

"Sorry Grace, I've already got plans," he said politely. She threw her hands around his arm, with a pout.

"Oh come on Sirius. Whoever she is, you know I'm better. Just tell her something's come up."

"No, sorry Grace. I can't."

"Why not?!"

"Hey Snookums," a third voice said and before Sirius knew it, Jane had kissed his cheek. "Hey Grace, did you hear? Sirius and I are dating," she said sweetly, sitting herself down next to Sirius and playing with his hair. Grace stood up with a shocked face and walked away. Jane withdrew her hands and placed them at her sides.

"What happened to being private people?" Sirius inquired.

"Well, someone needed to rescue you," she laughed. "But don't expect me to do that every morning. I even irritated myself."

Later that day, as Sirius made his way to Quidditch practice, he was stopped in his tracks by a girl with dark red hair. They stared at each other for several moments, before she spoke.

"Black, if you hurt her, I'll kill you in your sleep," Lily said, pointing her finger at him.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Sirius replied, amused.

"I mean it, Black. I'll crush you," she said, with one final menacing glare, before turning on her heels and disappearing down the corridor.

Jane woke one morning, several weeks later, it was Valentine's Day. Jane loved Valentine's Day, as it was the one day a year that most of female population of Hogwarts would simultaneously go barking mad. This meant that the likelihood of some form of outlandish incident occurring was greatly increased on this day. Jane and Lily's only hope would be that they were there to witness it.

As she lifted herself from her bed, she spotted a box of chocolates beside her. She opened the box to find it filled with love heart shaped dark chocolates. She wondered why Sirius would have sent her dark chocolate when only yesterday; she had publicly declared her hatred for it. At this moment, Jane heard Paloma stir in the bed next to her. She got up and rummaged through her trunk for some clothes to wear on her date with Sirius. As she stood up holding her bundle of clothing, Paloma noticed the chocolates.

"Oooh are they from Sirius?" she squealed.

"Yeah, I guess. But I don't like dark chocolate. You can have them."

"Oh yay. I wish I had a boyfriend to buy me chocolates." Paloma frowned, picking up the box. Ignoring her, Jane entered the bathroom and looked into her reflection. Her smooth hair sat perfectly on her shoulders. As she entered the shower she could have sworn she heard a shriek, but she shrugged it off as just her imagination. When she got out of the shower, Jane dried her hair with her wand and pulled on her long flowing peasant skirt and a ruffled singlet. She added a little make-up and exited to the bedroom. It took her hardly a second, to realize that something was wrong.

"He is so amazing. I bet he doesn't even know who I am. But I'll change that."

"No, you won't because he already loves me! He told me so!"

"He's so handsome. His masculine body-"

"Hey, you stay away from him, he's mine!" And Paloma lunged at Belladonna Greer. Jane and Lily bound to the girls and teared them apart.

"What's going on?" Jane yelled over the screaming.

"I don't know. It all started when Belladonna took one of those chocolates." Lily barely missed the fist that was thrown at her face by Belladonna.

"Those chocolates? Oh no!" Paloma tried to kick Jane in the leg.

"Merlin, I'm sorry girls. Petrificus Totalus!" Jane sent a Body-Binding Curse at Paloma, before advancing on Belladonna. "Petrificus Totalus!" She too, went rigid and fell to the floor.

"It's for their own good. We couldn't have let them wander around the castle declaring their love for him; they'd never speak to us again if we did. Why did he send you love potion filled chocolates? I mean-"

"Declaring their love for whom? Sirius?"

"No, Peter. Peter Pettigrew."


	8. Valentine's Day Surprises

"Peter? Are you sure?"

"Positive." Lily nodded.

Jane sat on her bed and looked down at the box of chocolates still sitting next to her, wondering what Peter had been thinking.

"Jane, they'll be like that for a while," Lily said, stepping over the two girls now lying motionless on the floor. "Fancy some breakfast?" She asked nonchalantly. Jane looked up before agreeing with her friend. They exited the dormitory, and made their way downstairs towards the Great Hall.

"Do you think we should have taken them to Slughorn?" Jane muttered.

"Not really," Lily yawned. "I hate those girls. They're always so perky."

"This is why we are friends," Jane smirked.

"So do you think Peter likes you?"

"I don't know," Jane sighed. "He doesn't even speak to me normally."

"He's probably nervous." Lily grinned.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not funny. Imagine what could have happened if he hadn't bought dark chocolate. I would have eaten it and made a complete fool of myself."

"I wouldn't have let you get out of the dormitory. Don't you know I've always got your back?" Jane laughed as they entered the Great Hall.

"Yes, I'm glad I have you to knock me out in case I ever get into strife." She grinned, patting Lily's back. They sat down at the Gryffindor table and Jane grabbed a piece of toast before shoving it in her mouth and promptly grabbing another.

"Merlin, Jane you eat like a boy."

"Excuse me Lily, but I have not eaten for a very long time."

"You ate dinner at the same time I did and I'm still eating like a girl."

"Give me a break. You're sounding like Paloma."

"You take that back," Lily said forcibly, pointing her cereal spoon at Jane as four Gryffindor boys walked in. They made their way over to the girls before Sirius sat down next to Jane and planted a kiss on her left cheek.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said passing her a gift. As Jane took it from his hand she noticed that James was talking to Lily.

"Hey Evans."

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily sighed.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too," he replied, ignoring her hostility. "So, today's Valentine's Day."

"You don't say," she answered sarcastically.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me." Lily looked at him for several moments before speaking.

"No." She stood up and walked from the room, leaving a small wrapped present sitting untouched on the table. Jane could feel Peter's eyes on her but she ignored it and turned to James.

At this moment, Peter stood up and left the Great Hall, leaving Jane with the other three Marauders. She felt as if she should follow him to discuss the chocolates but decided that it wasn't the time and turned back to James.

"Tough luck mate," said Sirius.

"It's alright," James said happily, catching everyone by surprise. "I have this philosophy, you see. It's actually quite brilliant if I do say so myself." He smiled, clearing his throat. "Hate equals love. The more they act like they hate you, the more they really like you."

"Unless they really do hate you," Jane added. At which point, James bowed his head in a mock defeated manner.

"Glossin, why do you always have to rain on my parade?" he asked. Remus smirked from across the table.

"No James, I think you're on to something," she said, patting him on the back. "Lils isn't like the other girls at Hogwarts. She's a hard nut to crack."

"I know she's not like the other girls. That's why I like her. Because every so often when she smiles, it just lights up my day."

"It really does. If he sees her in the morning he's on a high all day," Sirius cut in."

"Well that's good. But James, the thing you need to know about Lily is that she is incredibly stubborn. You need to be sneaky and wait for her walls to come down. That's when you strike!" she cried, clapping her hands together.

҉

Later that day, Jane and Sirius walked down the Hogwarts Grounds to Hogsmeade along with the other Gryffindors. As they approached the Hogwarts gate, they saw Grace Brown leaning against a nearby tree. She was scowling at Jane. When Sirius saw this, he wrapped his arms around Jane's waist and kissed her cheek. When he looked back up, Grace was disappearing into the crowd, anger evident in every step.

"So did you get any secret admirers today?" he teased, letting go of Jane's waist. She looked up to see Sirius smirking, and wondered if he was implying that he was behind the chocolates.

"Oh that _was _you?" she asked. Sirius' smirk faded.

"What?" he said, stopping on the spot. Jane thought fast.

"I was only joking," she said quickly. "I haven't had any secret admirers." Jane didn't want to tell Sirius about the chocolates, she didn't want to cause any trouble between the Marauders.

Once in the village, the two spent most of their time in Honeydukes before making their way on to the new Quidditch store at the very edge of Hogsmeade.

"Hey, isn't that the Shrieking Shack?" Jane asked, pointing to a rickety old house atop a hill.

"Yeah," Sirius muttered. "Yeah, I think it is."

"Let's go see it," Jane said happily, grabbing Sirius' hand. He followed her, amused at her excitement. "Wow, it's so cool," she said as she reached the fence surrounding the large shack. "Do you think it's really haunted?" she asked Sirius, who looked at her madly.

"Apparently it's the ghost of an old woman that's trapped inside the building, constantly in search of her children," he said. "And she attacks every girl that comes within ten feet of the place," he added eerily. "Hey, how about we go back to Quentin's Quidditch Supplies. I really need a broom-kit.

"Okay." Jane said walking backwards, though her eyes remained transfixed on the building in front of her.

҉

Later, Sirius and Jane found themselves sitting in the Three Broomsticks. Jane was halfway through her Butterbeer when she overheard some Slytherins whispering at a nearby table. Sirius had apparently heard it too, because he peered around and saw his brother Regulus in the company of Evan Rosier and Rodulphus Lestrange. They were huddled, and speaking in very hushed voices

At this moment Regulus noticed Sirius listening.

"Mind your own business Black," he sneered.

"Your name's Black too, you prat."

"Come on, we cannot have vermin like this listening to our conversation," said Lestrange, rising from his seat. The other two followed suit and the Slytherins were gone.

҉

Later that evening, as Jane entered the library to retrieve a book, Madam Pince gave her a scowl. Jane laughed as she recalled the story of how Madam Pince had bewitched the books to chase Sirius and Willow Harington from the library. As she made her way to the back of the room she understood why whenever someone would mention the library, Sirius would run in the opposite direction. She was scanning the books on the back shelf when she walked right into someone. Severus Snape was walking with his head down, deeply immersed in a thick black book.

"Oh sorry," Jane said, passing by Snape, and taking herself by surprise. He seemed just as surprised as she was because moments later, he walked into a book shelf, causing a few books to drop and Madam Pince to glare over angrily. Jane saw him charming the books into place before quickly rushing from the library.

Ten minutes later, Jane had her book and was walking down a corridor back to Gryffindor tower when she heard a kind of sob. She looked around for several moments before she located the source of the sound. It was coming from the boy's lavatory just to her left. Usually Jane would have steered clear of this room, but that cry sounded so miserable. It rang through her ears and sent her heart into sadness, as if she could feel the person's pain. After much self-debate, Jane opened the door a little bit and stuck her head through.

"Are you okay?" she called. The noise stopped and there was silence.

"Go away."

"I just want to make sure you're okay," she said.

"I'm fine, now go away." Jane withdrew her head from the door and slowly began walking back to her common room. Hearing the sob again, she turned and walked all the way into the bathroom.

"Look, I'm not leaving until you stop you're blubbering. Come out here and tell me what's wrong." Nothing happened for a few moments until the far cubicle door opened and Jane immediately regretted her decision, as a boy with shoulder-length greasy black hair walked out. It was like curtains over his pale white face; his hooked nose poking through.

"How dare you-" He looked up and saw Jane standing in front of him.

"You," Jane muttered, feeling uncomfortable about being alone in the boy's bathroom with Severus Snape. As much as she told herself to leave, something inside her made her stay. She didn't like seeing other people in pain. Not even Severus Snape. "Now are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"You? Why would I tell you anything?" he said, crossing his arms across his chest. Jane walked across the floor towards where Snape stood.

"Because Snape, it seems I'm the only one willing to listen." They stood there for what seemed like an eternity, staring each other down. "I'm not leaving," Jane repeated defiantly. It had now become a battle of wills.

After much refusal, Snape gave in and told Jane all about his regret since the day that he lost Lily Evan's friendship. It seemed that the tiny bit of kindness that Jane had shown him in the library reminded Severus of how kindly Lily had treated him when they were just children.

"I didn't know, I'm so sorry. That… that you've had to experience all that pain." Snape gave her a skeptical look. "No Severus, really. No-one should be without a best friend." Jane felt terrible. She had, after all, played an instrumental role in the breakdown of Lily's friendship with the boy.

"You called me Severus," he choked out.

"Well that's your name, isn't it?"

"Usually people call me Snape or Snivellus or Captain Hook," he said, pointing at his nose.

"Well they're awful things to call someone," she said resting her hand on his shoulder. "Plus, Severus is such a nice name." she smiled. "I know I'm not the most ideal person but don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this."

Jane slowly made her way up to Gryffindor Tower. She walked through the portrait hole and saw Remus and Peter sitting by the fire. Remus looked hard at work while Peter sat next to him watching him write. When the portrait hole shut behind her, Peter looked up. He saw Jane, turned to Remus and quickly said goodnight before rushing up the stairs to his dormitory. Jane took his seat at the fireplace.

"Hi Remus." Remus looked up.

"Oh hey Jane, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Did Peter say anything about sending me chocolates this morning?" Remus looked up once more.

"Sending you chocolates? No he didn't say anything," he said. "What's going on Jane? I noticed him watching you at breakfast; it was so intense it made _me_ uncomfortable. And just now he ran away the second you walked into the room."

"Well I woke up this morning and found a box of chocolates on my bedside table. They were dark chocolate and as you know I hate dark chocolate-" Remus nodded in agreement. "-so I let the other girls have them. I thought they were from Sirius. But when I got out of the shower Gretel and Paloma had eaten them and they were fighting over someone. It turns out it was Peter."

"You think he tried slipping you love potion?" Remus put his quill down on his page and turned his body to Jane.

"Well I don't know. That's how it seems but I thought maybe it was a Marauder's practical joke or something."

"No, I certainly had nothing to do with it and Sirius wouldn't find it funny to have his girlfriend all over Wormtail. As for James, I'm positive he wouldn't do that to his best mate. Have you tried talking to Peter?"

"I try but as you can see I'm having some difficulty."

"Do you want me to talk to him?"

"Yeah, that would be great. But please don't let Sirius know, or even James," Jane begged.

"I promise."


	9. The Aftermath

The next morning Sirius woke with a start to the sound of Peter's yelps. He jumped up and saw James sitting on top of his smallest friend, whilst Remus leaned idly against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Prongs what are you doing?" Sirius clambered out of bed.

"What does it look like? I'm sitting on Wormtail's head," James said matter of factly.

"But why? Get off him." Sirius pushed him off, and James stood up, glaring at Peter. "What's going on?" Sirius inquired.

"This little rat doesn't understand that mates don't go after other mates' girls."

"What are you talking about? Wormtail did you scam on Lily?" Sirius asked, turning angrily on Peter.

"Not Lily. Jane! He tried to slip Jane love potion," James shouted. Sirius' eyes widened as he suddenly leapt at Peter.

"Stay away from her, you prick," he said, pushing Peter against the wall.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. They made me do it." Sirius stopped.

"Someone made you send love potion to my girlfriend?" At that moment Remus stood up straight and made his way across the room to where the others stood. "Who?"

"The Slytherins thought it would be funny. They told me that if I didn't do what they said, they'd make me pay." The boys all shared a look, and Sirius' thoughts immediately jumped to his brother, and the way he had sneered at him the previous day.

"Why didn't you tell me Moony?" asked Sirius with a hurt face, as they sat with James at the Gryffindor table, eating their breakfast. Peter was at the far end of the table by himself.

"Jane made me promise not to tell either of you. James only found out because he overheard Peter and I talking."

"Why didn't she want me knowing?" asked James in surprise, setting down his fork.

"I suppose it's because she knew that you'd do something noble. Like sit on Peter's head." At that moment Jane walked into the Great Hall with Lily. She saw Sirius' face and immediately knew that he'd found out. He swung around to face them as the two reluctantly walked over to the table.

"So when were you planning on telling me that my mate sent you a Valentine's gift?" Jane felt horrible as she saw the disappointment in his eyes.

"Sirius-" He took her hand and pulled her from the room, leaving Lily with James and Remus, who was silently apologizing as he watched her go. Lily immediately turned her back on James, speaking only to Remus. The last thing Jane saw was James boredly putting his head in his hands.

Standing in the Entrance Hall, Jane turned to Sirius.  
"Sirius, I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I didn't want to cause trouble between the two of you. Besides it was harmless, I didn't eat any of them."

"Jane, it was not harmless. It wasn't some stupid little crush. The Slytherins made him do it."

"Why me?" Jane looked as if her mind was racing at one hundred miles an hour. "Wh…why would they want me?"

"Well we both have a tendency to piss them off," he replied. "Is it any wonder that they wanted to get us back?"

"Okay Sirius, I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a soft kiss on his lips.  
At that moment, Severus walked past the couple. He gave Jane a polite smile over Sirius' shoulder. Jane smiled back, curious as to how much he knew.

Weeks had gone by without another incident with the Slytherins, and Jane had finally convinced herself that she was safe from any further plotting. It was a warm March night, as she wandered the Hogwarts grounds, walking past the large Whomping Willow, as she watched an owl fly across the dark night sky. For several days following the prank on Valentine's Day, she had been on edge. Especially since the day Severus had told her that he had seen Peter lingering around the Slytherin portrait hole. Peter had since been forgiven by his friends, who knew him to be a bit of a wimp and who had decided to forget about the whole Valentine's Day incident. However Jane knew that in order to convince Sirius of Peter's relationship with the Slytherins, she'd need to reveal her source, and she wasn't quite ready to let her friends know about her alliance with Severus Snape. Suddenly Jane was pulled out of her thoughts by a rustling in the nearby bushes. Before she could reach for her wand, she was pinned to the ground, with warm breath against her face. She struggled underneath the great weight, scratching away at anything she could. As she turned her head, all Jane saw were sharp teeth before the creature was pulled off of her. She quickly sat up in time to see what looked like a stag and a very large dog facing what Jane could instantly see was a werewolf. The dog and the wolf were wrestling, their claws ripping at each other. Meanwhile, the stag was fixed in a stance as if ready to pounce at any moment. It stood between Jane and the furious creature; shielding her, as the dog continued to bite at the werewolf, its feet now planted in the soil. Suddenly the werewolf pounced at Jane once more, but the stag was ready. It dug its antlers into the werewolf's side, causing a loud whine to ensue as the werewolf retreated back through the bushes, crashing into a large tree trunk before disappearing. The stag chased after it, but the dog remained planted to its spot. Its eyes watched Jane as she tried to catch her breath. It slowly approached, its eyes never straying from Jane's. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light and someone much taller stood in front of her.

"Are you okay?" asked Sirius Black, concern etched on his face. He had deep scratches across his neck and there was dirt on his face. Jane sat where she was, in utter shock. "Jane?" The voice was miles away. "Jane, are you okay?" he asked more forcefully.

"Yeah. Um, yeah I'm good," she answered in a daze. Sirius laughed.

"I should probably see how James is going with Moony," he said, nodding his head in the direction in which the two animals had just disappeared.

"Th-that was James and Remus?" Jane asked, amazed.

"Yeah," he answered. "And Pete's around here somewhere."

"Hang on. You're a dog?" she questioned. Sirius let out his bark-like laugh.

"Yeah, I'm a dog." He grinned. "Did you want me to walk you back to the castle?"

"No, you should catch up with them. I'll be okay." Jane lifted herself off the ground.

"Okay, well if you're sure," he said, uncertain. "Oh, and could you not tell anyone about this?"

"Don't worry," Jane insisted. "I am the sole of discretion." She tapped her nose in what was meant to be a mysterious manner. "But wait, which one's the werewol-"

"We'll have plenty of time to talk about it tomorrow, I promise," he said apologetically, backing away into the bushes and returning to the shaggy black dog form.

Jane was woken the next morning by Lily shaking her.  
"Jane? Jane. JANE!"

"What?" she answered, still half asleep and grumpy at being woken.

"Sirius wants to talk to you and-" Jane swiftly sat up, jumping out of her bed and grabbing the closest item of clothing she could find. She quickly pulled off her flannelette pyjamas and pulled on a white dress. After several tries to get it on the right way, she had it on and ran down the staircase into the common room, where Sirius and Peter sat.

"Are you going to let me in on the secret now?" she asked, excited. Sirius laughed.

"Yeah, come on. We have to go to the Hospital Wing." He saw the worry on Jane's face. "Oh no, it's okay. We'll explain when we're there." Jane walked with the boys through the corridors up to the Hospital Wing. She had never been more excited to visit this room, but part of her still did worry about the reason behind the visit. "How're you feeling after last night?" Sirius asked.

"Fine." Jane smiled, covering the scratches along the backs of her arms. Sirius was still covered in scratches and he seemed to be walking with a limp.  
As they reached the doors, Sirius opened it to allow Jane to enter first. When she entered, the room didn't seem any different to usual. The beds were still stiff, the smell was still horrid and the only sound that was heard was the tapping as Madam Pomfrey's feet hit the cold white floor. Jane felt a shiver go up her spine. Sirius led the way to the very last bed on the left of the room, it overlooked the large lake and the Quidditch pitch could be seen in the distance. As Jane approached the bed, she recognized Remus was lying in it, a pained expression on his face.

"Oh Merlin Remus, what's wrong with you?" Jane asked, sitting at his feet. He was also covered in scratches, as well as a few bite marks and bruises. "You look horrible." James, who was sitting on Remus' right, laughed at Jane's lack of sensitivity. "Oh, I'm sorry." Jane tried to back track. "But I mean you do," she admitted. Remus smiled sadly.

"Nothing I'm not used to," he said.

"Used to? So, this is a regular occurrence?" Remus nodded. "Oh-" Jane started. "So that was you."

"Yeah, that was me," he said, looking down at his hands. "About that, I'm so sorry Jane. I can understand if you never want to speak to me again. I mean, this is definitely not how I wanted you to find out-"

"Hold your Hippogriffs, Remus John Lupin. What are you on about?" Jane interjected. James smirked beside her.

"Well I'm a monster."

"Who told you that codswallop?" Jane asked. "You're amazing, Remus. You're funny, you're really really sweet, you're smart. You're the perfect guy."

"What does that make me?" Sirius interrupted. Jane ignored him.

"And Remus?" He didn't look up. Jane took his chin in her hand and forced his face up. "Remus, look at me. Don't you dare let anyone make you think you're less than what you are."

"Thanks Jane." Remus smiled, as Jane held his hand in hers.

"Yeah Moony, we've all got secrets." James shrugged.

"That, we do," said Jane, ignoring Sirius who turned and looked at her curiously. "So, now that I've uncovered you're little mystery. How about you let me in on the truth behind the stag and that really mangy dog I saw last night." Jane grinned.  
And so the Marauders told her the story of their Animagus figures. By the end of it Jane was on the edge of the hospital bed. "I can't believe this. I want to be an Animagus," she groaned.

"What would your form be, do you think?" Remus asked, a little happier now.

"Jane would be a chimp," Sirius added. "Observe the moustache above her upper lip." He pointed it out. "The vacant expression. And lastly, but certainly the most striking similarity; note the putrid odour that she releases."

"I do not have a moustache!" Jane punched Sirius in the left arm.

"No, he's right Glossin. You do look like a chimpanzee now I think about it," James began. Sirius clutched his arm and tried to wave James to stop, but it was too late. Jane had already punched him in his right arm.

"Ouch!" James said, clutching his own arm. Remus and Jane laughed, and surprisingly so did Peter.

"That's enough," came a loud, high pitched voice. "You're interrupting the other patients and visiting hours are over," said Madam Pomfrey, shooing them away.

"Okay, okay," Jane said, jumping up off the bed and bidding Remus goodbye with the others.

"See you later Moony," Sirius smiled. "Let me know when you're free for a rematch." He winked, trying hard to hide his limp as he left the room.

**AN: Hey guys, sorry about the wait. I hope everything is well. This chapter is pretty quick, I know. Initially it was much longer, but I decided to go all Warner Bros. and split it into two. But that means that the next chapter should be up in a jiffy, so stay tuned!**


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